Lew Francis packed a lot of experiences into a century of life.
Francis, 100, of Ortonville died July 1, leaving behind six children, 19 grandchildren, 38 great grandchildren, and two great great grandchildren. He is also survived by one sister, Pauline Fredette, and several nieces and nephews.
Four of his surviving six children are local residents ? Gary (Shirley) of Goodrich, Janice (Jessie) Robinson of Ortonville, Dennis ‘Butch? of Ortonville, and John (Dianne) of Ortonville.
They had plenty of stories to tell about a man who, in the words of Janice, ‘lived a full life.?
Butch recalled when his father was young, he and his brothers would shoot woodchucks to sell to road builders in exchange for meat.
In addition, when Francis was attending school, he used to run a trapline before school as a way of earning some money.
‘One time, he got a skunk caught in the trap and it sprayed all over him,? Butch said. ‘The teachers couldn’t find out what the skunk smell was. They finally found him out and sent him home at noon.?
Francis? father, Edmund, and grandfather, Joseph, both had backgrounds in law enforcement. Edmund was the sheriff of Madison County, N.Y.(south of Syracuse), while Joseph was a stone mason and chief of police for Cazenovia, N.Y.
In addition, Butch said his father had relatives in the Revolutionary and Civil wars, and an uncle in the Spanish-American War.
He developed a stuttering problem and left school in the sixth grade to get his working papers at the age of 11, Butch said.
‘He was on his own much of his life,? he said.
Francis worked several jobs while in New York, toiling in a foundry in Manuilus, N.Y., digging foundations for electric towers in the Adirondack Mountains along with brother Doug, and working on street cars in Syracuse.
From there, Francis moved to Cleveland and worked there for Willis Overland, which later became the Jeep car company. While there, he noticed pinstripers (the people that decorate the sides of cars) were making a lot more money, so he went to pinstriping school.
However, when he graduated, he found out the auto companies had built machines to take care of that job, so he was not needed in that area.
After leaving Cleveland, Francis took the remainder of his money and went to Chicago for aircraft maintenance school. However, he lost all his money to a couple of pool sharks, Butch said.
‘He then decided he wanted to work on the Great Lakes and went to a union hall in Detroit,? he said. ‘They told him they were not hiring. He waited three days in a row until they decided to hire him.?
Francis worked as an able-bodied seaman for a year, and was on the sister ship to the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was lost in a storm in 1976.
He then landed a job at White Rubber, which later became U.S. Rubber and is now Michelin Tire. He worked there for two years, quit and went back on the ships for two more years, then returned to U.S. Rubber, where he worked for 35 years before retiring in 1965 at age 62.
Despite leaving school in sixth grade, Francis received tutoring and earned his way into the Detroit Institute of Technology to study inorganic chemistry. He left school without finishing to raise his family, Butch said, but became a chemist at U.S. Rubber after starting as a tire builder.
While working at U.S. Rubber, Francis tried his hand at a couple of side businesses, buying a dump truck to deliver coal, and working in the pinball machine business before organized crime elements forced him out, Butch said.
Francis moved to this area after a hit-and-run automobile accident killed his son Rollin in 1951, when the family was living in St. Clair Shores. The accident was big enough at that time that it was reported in The Detroit News, Butch said.
He bought a small resort on Davison Lake in Hadley Township and moved his family there on July 5, 1952. Janice noted her father’s sense of fair play while operating the resort and dealing with tenants.
‘He was quite a person with a huge heart,? she said. ‘He was always big-hearted with anyone who needed help.?
After retiring from U.S. Rubber, Francis had several small real estate investments, and moved to Ortonville in 1993. He allowed the Village of Ortonville to use one of his properties, on Cedar and Ball streets, for recreational baseball leagues.
Speaking of baseball, one of Francis? passions, for 80 years, was following the Detroit Tigers.
From the days of Ty Cobb and Charlie Gehringer to this year’s team, led by Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez, Francis was a diehard Tiger fan, with Hank Greenberg, Hal Newhouser, and Mickey Lolich being his favorite players, Janice said.
She also said even on the day her father died, he inquired about what time the Tigers game was that day. She said he really enjoyed listening to Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell call the Tiger games (often turning down the television to listen to Harwell on the radio), and would often talk about the Tigers with sister Pauline, who is still alive at the age of 93.
Francis? devotion to the Tigers started when he moved to Detroit, Butch said.
‘When he first got to town, Tiger Stadium was still Navin Field,? he said. ‘He used to tell us about watching Babe Ruth letting balls go between his legs underneath the outfield ropes to the kids during batting practice. He could remember games, play by play, that happened 50 years ago. I don’t know if he ever missed listening to a game.?
Francis? children look back at the father with gratitude for their childhood and life experiences he shared with them.
‘His family came to fully appreciate the atmosphere at the lake,? he said. ‘We could never repay him enough for the childhood he gave us.?